In our latest blog, Commissioner Sally Reynolds, a native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Lewis, shares what land means to her as we publish our first Gaelic Language Plan.

The short answer is land means everything to me, but the long answer is much harder to answer. I was born and brought up on a tenanted croft, this means I was brought up working the land with livestock being part of everyday life and the annual rhythms of growing vegetables, cutting peats and baling hay being complete normality for us. I can even remember helping to tie black oats when I was very young. Times move on and this has evolved to silage being cut, baled and wrapped by contractors. I never thought about land or the meaning of land – it was part and parcel of life. I now live and work a croft in a different crofting village; it is different from when I was a child because it is part of a Community Owned Estate, but it is the same because working the land is part of my everyday life. 

My career has seen me gravitate towards land – both as an agricultural consultant and now as a manager of a Community Land Trust and a Land Commissioner. I consider myself very lucky to have grown up with a direct connection to land and to continue to have a direct connection to land. But land is so much more than just those direct connections to working the land. Land for me is about creating opportunities - land is about opportunities for housing, opportunities for recreation, opportunities for development and opportunities for communities to grow and thrive.

It is really important to me that we have a Gaelic Language Plan to ensure we embed Gaelic and celebrate the importance of Gaelic in our land reform journey.

 

Dè tha am Fearann a’ ciallachadh dhomhsa?

Anns am bloga nas ùr seo, tha Coimiseanair Sally Reynolds, Gàidheal 's ban-Leòdhasach, ag ràdh dè tha am fearann a'ciallachadh dhi mar a foillsich sinn ar Plana na Gàidhlig.

Ann am beagan fhacal, tha e a’ ciallachadh a h-uile rud dhomh, ach chan eil e cho furasta freagairt fhada a thoirt. Rugadh is thogadh mi air croit fo ghabhaltas, tha seo a’ ciallachadh gun deach mo thogail a’ saothrachadh an fhearainn le beathaichean nan cuid de mo bheatha làitheil agus ruitheam bliadhnail de dh’fhàs glasraich, buain na mòna agus a’ buain an fheòir cho tur àbhaisteach dhuinn. Tha cuimhne agam fiù ’s a bhith a’ cuideachadh gus an coirce dubh a cheangal nuair a bha mi gu math òg. Bidh an dà là a’ tighinn agus tha seo ann a-nis mar ghearradh feur-tìoraidh, ga thrusadh is ga fhilleadh le luchd-cùmhnaint. Cha do ghabh mi beachd riamh air an fhearann no brìgh an fhearainn – bha e na chuid is na bun-stèidh den bheatha. Tha mi a-nis a’ fuireach is ag obair air croit ann am baile eile seach mar a bha e nuair a bha mi beag oir is e cuid de dh’Oighreachd ann an Seilbh na Coimhearsnachd a th’ ann, ach tha e mar an ceudna seach gu bheil obair an fhearainn na cuid de mo bheatha làitheil. 

Anns an dreuchd agam tha mi air gluasad a dh’ionnsaigh an fhearainn – an dà chuid mar neach-comhairleachaidh àiteachais agus an-dràsta na mo Mhanaidsear air Urras Fearainn Choimhearsnachd agus nam Choimiseanair-fearainn. Tha mi gam mheas fhèin gu math fortanach gus do dh’fhàs mi suas le ceangal dìreach ris an fhearann agus cumail orm ceangal dìreach a bhith agam ris an fhearann. Buinidh fearann dhomhsa ri cruthachadh chothroman – tha fearann mu dheidhinn cruthachadh chothroman air taigheadas, cothroman airson cur-seachad, cothroman air leasachadh agus cothroman do choimhearsnachdan fàs agus cinntinn. 

Tha e cudromach dha-rìribh dhomhsa gum bi Plana Gàidhlig againn gus a dhearbhadh gun socraich sin Gàidhlig agus gun comharraich sin cuideam na Gàidhlig nar cuid obrach ri leasachadh an fhearainn.